Indian chef named UK's Beer Drinker of the Year

A Michelin-starred chef whose restaurant boasts 13 different beers has joined the ranks of Prince Charles to be named the UK's Beer Drinker of the Year.

Chef Sriram Aylur, who helms the Quilon kitchen in London, was made Beer Drinker of the Year by the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group which, every year, bestows what is perhaps one of the UK's most unofficially patriotic awards on a happy beer aficionado.

As the 'all-party' parliamentary memorandum cites: "The Group's objectives are to promote the wholesomeness and enjoyment of beer and the unique role of the pub in the United Kingdom society, to increase the understanding of the social, cultural and historic role of brewing and pubs in the United Kingdom..."

The group's chairman, MP Andrew Griffiths, introduced the winner last week in London as a "beer champion."

"His restaurant is now a magnet for brewers from all over the world, for gastronomes and those who want a lunch or dinner with a real difference," he said.

As head of Quilon, which serves traditional "home-style South-west coastal Indian cuisine," Aylur has built several beer-centric menus pairing both Indian and British cuisines with carefully chosen brews.

The restaurant's five-course Indian menu, for instance, pairs spiced crusted oysters with a 312 Urban Wheat Ale; their baked, spiced black cod is served with a Belgium Chimay Red; a lamb biryani, coconut with asparagus and mange tout is paired with an Australian Little Creatures, and a Belgium Liefmans Fruit is served with lentil cappuccino, cardamom short breads, fig and cold pressed honey ice cream.

Quilon's selection of beers is also an interesting mix of brews which spans the UK, France, the US, Holland, Australia, Singapore and India, many of which are either premium or pioneering brands.

Kasteel Cru Rose, for instance,u00a0 is a rose lager from France fermented with champagne yeast.
An organic, handcrafted beer made from chestnuts, Pietra, is also on the beer list, as is Meantime Pale Ale from London, described as a heady mix of spearmint, grass, and 'hop sack' aromas with a dry, lemony edge.

Aylur is the 18th in a list of winners that includes Prince Charles, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and restaurateur Michel Roux in previous years.